Modern figure skating is both a popular spectator sport and a highly-profitable part of the entertainment industry. The growing popularity of figure skating as a form of entertainment was further boosted by new forms like 'ice dancing' and 'synchronized skating' that appealed to mass audiences.

National championships became major sporting events, especially in North America, and televised broadcasts attracted many viewers. In the twentieth century figure skating became more popular and competitive as movements and programs became more spectacular and athletic.

A much freer and more expressive style was developed in the 1860's by the American skater Jackson Haines, and it's this style that forms the basis of modern figure skating. The first known account of figure skating is A Treatise on Skating (1772) by the English writer Robert Jones, in which he describes a very formal and rigid style of skating. Figure skating gradually developed from this long tradition of ice skating, along with other sports like speed skating and ice hockey. Before the invention of modern ice-skating rinks, people skated on frozen lakes, rivers and ponds. Ice skating has been a popular winter pastime for centuries, especially in northern and eastern Europe. International competitions such as the World Figure Skating Championships and figure skating events at the Winter Olympic Games are regulated by the International Skating Union (ISU). Competitions are held at local and national levels, and also at the international level. Programs are performed by individual competitors or by pairs of competitors, and points are awarded by a panel of judges. A program can include spins, spirals, lifts, jumps, steps, turns, etc. The movements are performed as part of a program set to music that lasts several minutes.

Check your understanding with the vocabulary quiz and comprehension quiz.įigure skating is a sport in which skaters perform a series of set movements on an ice-skating rink. This page covers the vocabulary and language of figure skating by looking at its background, equipment and people.

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